The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer, by Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD, and Elissa Epel, PhD, Grand Central Publishing, 2018, 416 pages, $17.99.
In the 2018 paperback reprint of the 2017 New York Times-bestselling book, coauthor and Nobel Prize Winner Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD, together with health psychologist Elissa Epel, PhD, reveal how their findings on the aging process can be put into daily practice, effectively increasing people’s health spans (the number of years one remains healthy and active). The first book to explain how humans age at a cellular level and how simple changes can keep chromosomes and cells healthy, The Telomere Effect describes how sleep quality, exercise, aspects of diet, and certain chemicals affect human telomeres, the human DNA-protecting enzyme that Blackburn discovered. At the same time, chronic stress, negative thoughts, strained relationships, and even the wrong neighborhoods can erode telomeres. This practical tome — part scientific research, part lifestyle coach — includes lists of foods, amounts and types of exercise, and stress-reducing mind tricks that all augment telomere health. It also describes how health spans can be improved at the community level through neighborhoods filled with trust, green spaces and safe streets.
Want to learn more about exercise and nutrition? Read “Exercise 101: Finding the Right Exercise for Pain Relief” and “The Food Pain Connection.”
